More Heat Than Light
So I'm all in favor of using more efficient lightbulbs. I don't know the details of this campaign, but a few things make me suspicious.
The short version is that a coalition has formed to push the government to ban incandescent lightbulbs. I'm always skeptical when such coalitions include industry members, because often they're jockeying for advantage against their rivals. Philips is a member of the coalition, GE is not. My guess is that Philips is better positioned to sell high-efficiency bulbs than GE.
I'm also not sure why government action is necessary. If these new high-efficiency bulbs really are longer lasting and more efficient, consumers should prefer them without regulation. If there's an externality from energy use, the government should just tax electricity and let the market sort it out.
I should also note that the new bulbs shouldn't be thrown away like regular bulbs. I don't trust Americans (or anyone, really) to dispose of these things properly, and they do contain mercury. Responsible environmentalists should weigh this in the balance.
Finally, I don't know if I buy their math. The problem with incandescent bulbs is that they create a lot of heat in addition to light. Sometimes, though, that's not really a problem. For at least 5 months a year we heat my apartment in Chicago. You have to think about the net energy cost of the bulbs: during those 5 months, they are no worse than high-efficiency bulbs in terms of net energy use. Whatever they cost you in terms of electricity going to heat they save you in terms of gas going to heat.
Admittedly they're much worse during the summer, and in some places heat is undesirable most of the year. Still, the math is more complicated than these environmentalists let on.
The short version is that a coalition has formed to push the government to ban incandescent lightbulbs. I'm always skeptical when such coalitions include industry members, because often they're jockeying for advantage against their rivals. Philips is a member of the coalition, GE is not. My guess is that Philips is better positioned to sell high-efficiency bulbs than GE.
I'm also not sure why government action is necessary. If these new high-efficiency bulbs really are longer lasting and more efficient, consumers should prefer them without regulation. If there's an externality from energy use, the government should just tax electricity and let the market sort it out.
I should also note that the new bulbs shouldn't be thrown away like regular bulbs. I don't trust Americans (or anyone, really) to dispose of these things properly, and they do contain mercury. Responsible environmentalists should weigh this in the balance.
Finally, I don't know if I buy their math. The problem with incandescent bulbs is that they create a lot of heat in addition to light. Sometimes, though, that's not really a problem. For at least 5 months a year we heat my apartment in Chicago. You have to think about the net energy cost of the bulbs: during those 5 months, they are no worse than high-efficiency bulbs in terms of net energy use. Whatever they cost you in terms of electricity going to heat they save you in terms of gas going to heat.
Admittedly they're much worse during the summer, and in some places heat is undesirable most of the year. Still, the math is more complicated than these environmentalists let on.
posted by James | 1:00 AM
2 Comments:
No, the math is solid—incandescents are vastly inferior. The emitted heat is almost entirely waste; having incandescents is not going to lower your heating bill.
The reason why they're pushing for a ban is that even though compact fluorescents are more economical, people are too put off by the upfront cost, ignoring the long-term costs of energy (I'm sure behavioral economists have already modeled this kind of irrationality).
But while I support a big push for CFLs, I don't think a ban is a good idea. It'll artificially drive up the price of CFLs as demand surges, and there are still uses for incandescents in certain applications. For example, it's still expensive to make CFLs that work with dimmers, I believe.
Look, the heat is wasted during the summer, but it's not a waste during the winter. It just offsets heating you would otherwise do. True, it's more complicated than that - gas isn't quite the same as electric, bulbs burn out, etc. - but the basic concept is solid.
Post a Comment
<< Home